


Pies, waves and kisses

by bittycanbake (hit_the_books)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Canonverse events have happened - but there's magic too, Crushes, Curses, Dex is Bad at Feelings, England (Country), Kissing, M/M, Nursey Patrol, POV William "Dex" Poindexter, Pining, Summer Vacation, William "Dex" Poindexter is a Wizard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-05 05:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hit_the_books/pseuds/bittycanbake
Summary: In a world where magic, ghosts, fae, demi-demigods and monsters are real, Nursey Patrol has a whole different meaning for poor ol' Dex and the rest of the Samwell crew.When Nursey proposes they go on holiday to his parents' cottage in Cornwall, England, Dex manages to convince Nursey that Lardo, Shitty, Bitty and Jack should come with. Y'know, make it a couples' holiday... only he and Nursey aren't a couple yet. But hey, at least Dex will have the backup he needs for Nursey Patrol.





	Pies, waves and kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh! Thank you to [ForFutureReference](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForFutureReference/) for creating this fantastic piece of art. It really is amazing. I was so excited to write a story for it. [You can see the art post here](https://randomnoteforfuturereference.tumblr.com/post/185454132529/dex-and-nursey-getting-tied-up-with-some-magical).
> 
> Thank you to ToughPaperRound for beta reading the story.
> 
> Thank you to the mods for running the OMGCPRB.
> 
> Dex's issues with airplanes are inspired by The Dresden Files and poor Dresden's issues with technology big and small.
> 
> The setting of this story is one that is very familiar to me, and while the town featured is real, the cottage is made up. Though knowing Cornwall as I do, I would say that there is very likely a cottage by a cove just like the one in the story.

“It’s just for a week,” Nursey said, fixing Dex with a smooth smile that often led to Dex agreeing to things that he probably shouldn’t have. It was difficult to look at Nursey as he looked up at Dex, upside down on his bottom bunk, hair almost brushing the bedroom floor.

A week away with Nursey, in another country no less, sounded like something he should really be on board with. He’d never left the US, unless you counted the one time he went to Canada. But Europe? England?

“I, uh, have issues with flying,” Dex said slowly. The trip to Vermont had been one long drive with his brothers.

“Don’t worry. You can take a Clarityn or something. It’ll knock you right out. Or a couple and, you know, ten, twelve hours, you won’t even miss it.” Nursey smiled, somehow, while upside down.

Yeah, no. The last time Dex had been rendered unconscious thanks to something that wasn’t sleep, an ambulance had stopped moving. But hey—at least he hadn’t had that bad of a concussion after getting hit during a hockey game.

Nursey hadn’t really understood then what the big deal was. Sure Dex kind of liked having Nursey a bit clueless on the whole magic is real thing, there weren’t that many believers in the general population who knew of and believed in real magic, but he hated how Nursey’s cluelessness kept putting him in danger. See at the root of all that was Nursey, with his love of obscure beat poets, late 18th Century authors and beat’em up videogames—at the root of all of that was this guy who was a monster magnet.

Not a bad relationship magnet, understand, but a literal monster magnet. The kind that werewolves, vampires, ghosts and every other thing that went bump in the world wanted to run into and turn inside out. Dex had no idea how Nursey had managed to get this far through life and not know that there was something a little preternatural about him. It was like an aura. A big, bright sparkling purple aura that if Dex squinted just so he could see, whenever he wanted.

Monsters were drawn to Nursey and even Bitty had picked up on it. Their number one baker and captain had realized that something wasn’t quite right and started to help out on Nursey Patrol, because that’s literally what Dex spent his time doing between classes, study and hockey: Nursey Patrol was a full time job in and of itself.

Hell, Shitty had put down a damn Wendigo that had been hell bent on eating Nursey alive during one Kegster visit.

Dex blushed and realized he had been expected to reply a million years ago. He shifted from foot to foot, trying to find a polite and tactful way to handle what was clearly a bad idea.

“I just think that maybe we could take a trip somewhere… closer to home.” Heck knew what nasties were waiting in England if they made it there in one piece.

“But my parents own the cottage.” Nursey pouted and yes even upside down that was all kinds of adorable, but there was no feasible way this was a good thing to do. Cost effective? Maybe. But safe? Not in a million years.

“I just…”

“Please.”

“But…”

“Pleaaaaaaaaaaase.”

“It’s-”

“Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase.” Nursey rolled off the bed and got to his feet, staggering with the sudden rush of blood to his head. Dex reached out and caught Nursey in his hands, the motion carrying Nursey into his arms and suddenly there was no space, no air.

Nothing but the shortest of distances was between them. Dex swallowed hard and licked his lips. Aware that Nursey was watching his every move. They were caught and neither knew quite what this was—Dex certainly didn’t know why he was suddenly feeling warm. His upstairs brain felt like it was turning to mush, his downstairs brain was interested and couldn’t handle the closeness and the tension that had been simmering between them since they’d first joined Samwell.

Taking a long deep breath, Dex loosened his grip on Nursey and gently stepped back, heart hammering.

“Okay,” he said. All caution suddenly chased out by hormones and the kind of tension that Chowder had been trying to cut with a knife since the three of them had started college together.

“Okay?” Nursey asked, voice small and shocked.

“Okay.”

Nursey looked confused, eyes wide, understanding nowhere to be found. Then he mumbled something to himself and then he looked Dex in the eyes and grinned. A beguiling look that made Dex regret letting go of Nursey so soon.

“Okay, well I promised Bits I’d help him bake some cookies,” Nursey announced and before Dex could say anything else he was gone from their room.

“Wait, Bitty said you could help him bake?” Dex said softly after Nursey. Then his brain caught up with what had just transpired.

“I said yes,” Dex said out loud, hands clawing at his face as he took in a shuddering breath and understood the full depth of spontaneous idiocy he had just experienced. Nursey Patrol with backup was one thing, but if it was just him… And the flight… but monsters…

Dex rested his hands on his face and tried to figure out a way this could be fixed. Anything at all. Maybe he could persuade Nursey to let them bring a couple more friends with them. Like Bitty and Jack, or Shitty and Lardo. Anyone who knew what Nursey Patrol meant and had a better grip on their powers than Dex did and were unlikely to crash a Transatlantic flight.

For the first time in a long while, Dex climbed up on his bed and buried his face in his pillows and wished he wasn’t a wizard. It was tough being a wizard, because knowing about the other side to the world out there meant you were always on the lookout for threats. You never quite relaxed, because one wrong move could make you the tasty target for something bigger and meaner than you. Or Nursey…

Plus Dex tried not to use his magic if he could help it. Well, except for the one thing that helped him keep Nursey safe when a new threat had been identified.

“I’m gonna have to make such a huge batch,” Dex groaned into his pillows.

About 40 minutes later he was woken up by the sound of the smoke alarm near the kitchen. Nursey Patrol wasn’t always about chasing off monsters. Sometimes it was about keeping him away from stove settings.

***

“Jack, you didn’t have to,” Shitty repeated for millionth time. It was a couples’ vay-cay, only, as Dex kept reminding himself, technically, he and Nursey weren’t a couple. Jack had decided to spring for first class tickets for everyone.

It was the off-season, the end of the school year and somehow, this entire vacation had crept up on Dex. What with trying to survive Bitty’s graduation, the Frozen Four, and all that college stuff he had to do, because, y’know college. But he had Nursey Patrol backup so it was fine, except for that whole not being a couple kind of thing.

He’d been meaning to do something about that. Meaning to, but well, he’d had to deal with a family of woodland sprites that decided to move in on Samwell campus during late spring-early summer, just before graduation. He was the only licensed wizard who could do a quick relocation who was in the area when it happened and while the sprites wouldn’t have killed anyone (it was unlikely they would have) it would have been dangerous for all the extra people coming to graduation. During sprite relocation, Dex had originally planned out a date with Nursey and things had not happened.

“It’s nothing,” Jack said bashfully. The first class lounge hummed around them as passengers went about their business.

“It was really thoughtful, though,” Dex butted in nervously, fingering the amulet hanging from his neck. The amulet was on loan, to dampen his powers while they were flying. His plan to take a load of strength potion with him had been thwarted by luggage laws. Dex instead would be making the key component of safe Nursey Patrol at the cottage, having found a local supplier.

“Wait, is Cornwall meant to be the home of King Arthur?” Bitty asked, suddenly looking up from his cell.

And a conversation that Dex had had more times than he wanted, suddenly broke out. He looked towards the Stephen King novel he had been reading, eyes scanning for the paragraph he had left off on.

“Hey,” Nursey said, suddenly coming to sit down right beside Dex. He leaned his head on Dex’s shoulder, taking as much of Dex’s space as he possibly could. “You doing okay?”

Trying not to freak out at what was an unexpected sign of affection, Dex put his finger on the paragraph he had been reading. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You seem kind of nervous.” Nursey looked up at Dex from his shoulder. “You keep fiddling with that necklace of yours.”

“Amulet. And it’s what’s going to stop me from crashing the airplane.”

“Come on, that’s…” Nursey stopped.

Dex felt his cheeks heat. Each time the two of them had had a conversation about his wizardry, Nursey never seemed to quite believe him. Always there was some rational excuse—the woodland sprites were aggravated squirrels. The ghosts in the attic of the Haus were just the wind. Shitty wrestled with some guy dressed up in a Halloween costume.

Complete and utter denial. No wonder he doesn’t know when monsters are coming for him, Dex thought.

“I’m keeping it on,” Dex said, but Nursey didn’t move. After a while, Dex leaned his head on top of Nursey’s and went back to reading.

***

“Why does it take over six hours to travel only, like, 300 miles?!” Nursey groaned as the six of them got onto the train that would take them to Cornwall. They’d already endured a long tube ride to get to Paddington Station in London, but no one had wanted to hire a minivan and drive the 300-something miles to the cottage. Shitty helped everyone stow their cases in the main luggage area as they got on.

“Because the roads are terrible,” Bitty said, leading the way as they walked down a carriage to find the two sets of table seats they’d booked. He was carrying two trays filled with fresh coffees and a bag of pastries. The pastries weren’t up to his standards but he acknowledged everyone needed to eat.

Everyone was tired and a little irritable, Dex was having to keep a close check on his own temper. This is what they got for flying into London’s Heathrow airport in the early hours of the morning, before the sun had risen. The amulet he was wearing was only just strong enough to keep his powers at bay, but he had to not get riled up. Once the train journey was done, he’d tuck the amulet away until it was time to head home in like two weeks.

“How do you know the roads are terrible?” Jack asked as they sat down at their tables.

“Great British Bake Off,” Lardo supplied and pulled out a sketchbook she’d been doodling in back on the plane.

Bitty’s cheeks went red and Dex grinned. Of course it was GBBO. It was the only sensible explanation. Dex stored his duffle overhead and let Nursey take the window seat. He sat down next to Nursey and as everyone got settled, he caught Bitty looking at him. Bitty’s mouth was formed in a perfect pout and his eyes kept glancing towards Nursey and then back to Dex.

Pleading with his eyes, Dex hoped that Bitty wouldn’t say anything about Dex’s lack of action while they were with everyone else. But then Bitty jerked his head towards the rear of the carriage, and Dex looked between the seats.

A passenger who was pale and silvery, with long dark hair, and a tattered suit for an outfit, had joined them on the train and was drifting down the carriage. It was a ghost. A ghost had found them and they hadn’t even left London yet.

Nursey had stuck in his earphones and was staring out the window of the train carriage as they waited for the train to leave the station. It was eight carriages long, but still not quite big enough for Dex to comfortably work.

Shitty saw where Bitty was looking and then jockeyed Lardo and Jack. Bitty slipped in the empty seats opposite Dex and Nursey, while Dex got out from his own seat. Most people who were taking this train had gotten onto it now and Dex could feel the distant rumble of it starting to pull away.

Dex slid the amulet into his pocket and pulled out a salt shaker from his left. He prayed that the train would keep moving and that no other members of the public would get involved. Leading Lardo, Shitty and Jack, Dex started muttering something under his breath as he uncapped the salt.

The other three weren’t wizards, like he was, but Lardo was a clairvoyant, Shitty was enthusiastic and Jack was a demi-demigod. They all knew just enough to be dangerous and could do some damage if they had to.

“Now,” Dex ordered, throwing the salt and then ducking as it fizzled through the air towards the ghost and Lardo started her own chant.

The ghost, once a young woman, maybe a banker, looked surprised, but before she could even so much as drift through the train she was stopped by the salt and then banished by Lardo’s chant. It was quick and smooth, like they did this every day.

A small pool of ectoplasm was all that was left of the ghost’s presence on the mortal plane. Around them the other coach passengers started to clap and cheer, and Dex smiled and ducked his head at the praise, embarrassed to be congratulated with Lardo for a job well done. Everyone took their seats and Dex was glad to be heading away from the suffocating summer heat of London.

Nursey didn’t hear or see any of this.

***

“Oh my…” Nursey’s voice had trailed off. The six of them had reached the cottage and Jack was just parking the minivan they’d hired for this part of the trip. The driveway was not big enough for everyone to get out of the minivan when it was parked. Dex had worried that they would have gotten lost en route, but Bitty had proven himself good at reading directions from Google Maps.

This was Nursey’s first time at the cottage and Dex had to admit that it looked quaint in that sort of fairytale way—and he hoped there weren’t any local fey in the immediate area. Beyond the cottage, on the other side, was the sound of waves washing over rocks. The cottage was a short distance back from a private cove and beach.

“It’s nice,” Dex said to Nursey and was suddenly pinned by Nursey’s dusky green eyes. A blush crept up Dex’s cheeks.

“Yo, keys!” Shitty called and then let out a muffled groan. Lardo may have elbowed him. But I don’t care, Dex thought to himself as he tried not to lose himself in Nursey’s eyes.

Nursey seemed to pull himself together and turned to face their friends, breaking whatever moment they had been having. “Here,” he dug in his pocket and pulled the keys out, throwing them to Bitty, “the kitchen faces the beach.”

Bitty literally squealed and everyone else started to amble up the path to the low roofed cottage. Dex began to really take in their surroundings. There were a lot of native wildflowers around the cottage, they were being tended to by bumblebees and butterflies. And somewhere above them in the few North American pines that backed the property, Dex could hear the chittering of squirrels and a few birds singing.

If I found a few stones, he thought, I’ll be able to setup a perimeter, keep anything too dangerous out. Of course pixies and knockers might be able to get here… I’ll just have to work with Bitty to make sure we have the correct tribute laid out.

Dex looked back to where Nursey had been standing and suddenly realized that he was all alone. Sighing, Dex started towards the cottage, taking in its very solid white washed sides that looked to be made from thick stones, maybe granite? The oldness of the cottage meant that they would have more protection than they normally did in the Haus, because the cottage looked to be at least 150 years old.

Maybe Nursey Patrol won’t be so hard?

***

Having placed stones around the cottage, with runes etched into each of their surfaces, Dex went to find where he would be bunking. Jack and Bitty had been given the master bedroom. The Stanley Cup kiss on TV was still fresh and everyone was getting a honeymoon vibe from the pair of them, even if they had been dating for a while. And it made sense that Lardo and Shitty should claim the second, slightly smaller bedroom, with an equally well sized bed. That left the sofa bed in the living room for him and Nursey or the sofa bed for Nursey and the floor for Dex. He wasn’t quite sure whether he could share a bed with Nursey and get any sleep. Nerves building, Dex saw that someone had brought his case and bag into the living room, stowing it in a corner.

Ducking as he walked, he wondered if everyone other than Bitty and Lardo would end up with cricks in their backs before the holiday was over. Nursey had said the cottage was low ceilinged, but wherever Dex walked there was a chance that he would knock himself out on a ceiling beam. But despite the concussion risk, it felt quite cozy, plus the thick stone walls meant that the cottage was naturally cool inside.

A smell like toasting teacakes reached Dex’s nostrils and he suspected that Bitty had found all the baking supplies that Nursey had asked the cottage’s caretaker to order in. Dex headed to the kitchen and found everyone else gathered around mugs of coffee as they sat at the breakfast bar, watching Bitty as he toasted teacakes, their mixed sweet spices welcoming.

“There you are!” Nursey beamed. He pushed a stool towards Dex.

Dex climbed onto the stool and ducked his head. “Had to take care of a few things.”

“You mean putting down those stones, like when we’re on the road for games?” Nursey elbowed Dex.

“They’re not just stones, but yes.”

Nursey didn’t say anything to that, but he looked at Dex with a look he’d seen more than a hundred times. That what he did was nothing more than superstitious nonsense. It hurt a little, but Dex ignored the pain and shrugged.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Lardo asked, breaking the sudden tension that had formed. Dex was thankful for the interruption and the change in discussion as they started to make plans.

The six of them would be heading towards a local town that had a bunch of art galleries that Lardo really wanted to visit and a harbor. They’d do that in the morning and then head back to the private beach at the cottage for the afternoon, making the most of it, because the tide would have headed out enough for them to have a beach.

“Awww, but I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to check out the beach!” Nursey grumped. He took a bite out of his teacake and made an obscene noise that had Dex blushing again. “I am not waiting.” Nursey pushed away from the breakfast bar and made his way out the backdoor that led from the kitchen to outside.

For a moment, Dex thought that he could let Nursey be, but then he remembered his protections didn’t extend to the beach. “Hey, wait!” he called and hurried after Nursey.

Nursey had set off at a run and was already making his way down to the beach, legs quickly carrying him down the stone steps that led down to the cove at the back of the cottage. Dex took a few moments to catch up, but not before Nursey had reached the sand and run out into the waves. He was still dressed!

Dex tried not to yell angrily after his friend and followed Nursey towards the surf. His eyes naturally scanned the water, looking for threats, but everything seemed fine. He looked at the pool shoes on his feet and thought about taking them off and then remembered something Nursey had said about razor fish and kept his footwear on as he ran into the waves too.

The water lapped around Dex’s calves, but didn’t get his shorts. He walked over to where Nursey was standing, looking out to the Atlantic ocean.

“I like it here.” Nursey turned to Dex. “I’m glad we came.”

Dex smiled and then something moved out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look there was only the slowly rolling surf.

***

“Look who I made friends with!” Nursey exclaimed, rushing to the backyard of the cottage. Dex looked up from the strength potion batch he was mixing up and saw Nursey cuddling a large ginger tomcat.

“Where’d you find them?” Dex asked casually, trying to not lose where he was in his potion making.

“He was sunbathing on the path to the beach.” The cat squirmed in Nursey’s arms and he put the cat down. The cat tottered back towards the path.

“Sun?” Dex shivered. The day hadn’t quite warmed up yet and he’d been too distracted to pick up a sweater before starting the process of making his strength potion. Everyone really was up quite early in the cottage that morning—woken by Bitty singing in the shower before heading to the kitchen to start baking some treats for the day.

“Here… I’m too warm…” Nursey stepped forward and pulled off the colorful knitted sweater he’d been wearing. It was bright solid bands of reds and golds. Dex nodded in thanks and pulled the soft sweater over his head, body drinking in the warmth and the familiar smell of Nursey. Dex finished pulling the sweater over his head and felt his cheeks warming, enjoying the fact that Nursey had loaned him his warm sweater.

“Thank you.” Dex looked away bashfully. “I uh, need to finish this before we head out.”

Nursey took several steps towards Dex and stood beside him, looking at the cauldron, bottles of things he probably didn’t know of, mortar and pestle and a camping stove. It was all set atop a piece of driftwood balanced on an ornamental wall.

Nursey set his left hand on the small of Dex’s back. “Looks complicated.”

Dex felt his heart lighten at Nursey’s touch. “It is, but I’ve made it many times. It’s as natural as pre-game drills.”

Nursey leaned in closer, looking over Dex’s shoulder. “I’ll let you know when breakfast’s ready.” He pulled away and tottered off back into the cottage.

Dex turned back to the strength potion and finished adding ingredients to it. As the potion boiled on the camping stove, Dex said a little prayer that their vacation would go without major incident. A ghost on a train was small stuff, but he hoped England and certainly Cornwall, didn’t have anything like wendigo kicking about.

“How’s it going?” asked Shitty, walking over to the steaming cauldron and Dex. Shitty was hunched up in an old Samwell hoodie, cut offs maybe a little higher than most guys would wear them. A very Shitty Knight look.

“Oh, this is going fine,” Dex said, adding a pinch of something making a cloud of purple smoke puff up into the air.

“And you and Nurse?” Shitty waggled his eyebrows.

“Nothing to say.” Dex’s ear’s grew pink.

“That’s his sweater.”

“He lends me clothes all the time.”

Shitty gave Dex a knowing look. “Look, just ask. It’s like band aids, you just need to get on with it. Quick and fast.”

“What, no romance?” Dex gave Shitty a disbelieving look.

“Okay, maybe a touch of romance. But my man, you need to say something. It is painful watching the two of you. Painful. Breaks my heart seeing you say nothing of your feelings to that fine man every waking minute.”

Shitty slapped Dex on the back and headed off towards the back door, legs pumping, making his pool shoes slap against the paving stones that edged the yard near the cottage.

***

“I didn’t understand a single painting in that place,” Dex grumped as they walked out of the Tate St. Ives gallery. “It was just lots of black and white splotches. Every single painting.”

Nursey and Lardo side eyed Dex, but didn’t say anything.

Dex scrambled for something nice to say. “But I really liked the sculptures in the… the… Barbara Hepworth Museum! Those were great. With all the casting and molding she must have done. Plus those scaled prototypes.”

That got Nursey and Lardo smiling. Dex had genuinely liked the sculptures in the museum more. Now the six of them were walking through the town of St Ives, tourists and locals thronged the narrow sidewalks and streets. Any cars that tried to drive through the packed town had to crawl along and avoid colliding with pedestrians—that was why hardly any cars drove through the town. They slowly made their way towards the harbor front, in search of somewhere to have food or to buy something to take to the harbor’s edge.

“I think we should try ‘pay-stees’,” Jack suggested as they stood outside a bakery selling sweet and savory baked goods.

Bitty turned to Jack. “They’re called ‘pah-stees’. And sure a pasty would be nice. I’ve only ever had the Mexican interpretation of them before. Be good to find out what the original ones are like.”

Dex looked through the bakery’s front window. “Which are they?”

Bitty stood beside him and Nursey joined them. Bitty pointed nearer what looked like a large oven. “See the golden brown pastry like things, folded down the side and crimped, looking like the letter ‘D’? Those are pasties.”

“What’s in them?” Nursey asked.

“Traditionally, rump steak, onion, rutabaga, potatoes. I think.”

In the end, they ordered six steak pasties and grabbed bottles of water, heading over to the harbor wall to find somewhere nice to eat. They eventually ended up on the wall, sat beside a railing and looking out to the sea.

The sun shone down on them and Dex was glad he’d reapplied his sunscreen before heading out from the art gallery. Magic was pretty good at a lot of things, but it wasn’t great at preventing sunburn.

Sitting with his legs dangling over the stony wall, he tried not to think about how close Nursey was sitting next to him. It was like Nursey wanted to be in Dex’s lap, but he couldn’t safely think about that around company. So Dex focused on the waves, which were gently lapping at the bottom of the harbor wall. It was nice to be sat there, eating his “pah-stee” and savoring its reach meatiness, the sounds of seagulls in the distance.

Suddenly there was a weight on top of Dex’s head and Nursey was shrieking beside him, and then the pasty in his hands was gone, a white and gray gull flying off in front of them, the extra weight on his head no longer there.

It took a moment for Dex to realize what had just happened, but a seagull had definitely just stolen his pasty. He went to swear and then saw a small child with a family out of the corner of his eye and he stopped himself.

“Dude, you okay?” Nursey asked in alarm.

“I’m fine… should have kept a closer eye on my food.”

“Here, you can have mine,” said Nursey, Bitty and Lardo at once. Jack and Shitty offered a half second after.

“No, it’s fine, guys. I’ll head back and get another.” Knees creaking, Dex got to his feet and shouldered his rucksack. He carefully walked past the other groups of people gathered on the wall, glimpsing out to the sea as he did. It seemed calm in the still summer heat and Dex thought about putting on the hat he’d stuffed in his bags, just to be sure his ears and nose didn’t burn.

He reached the bakery they’d originally gone to and the woman who served them took pity and gave Dex a fresh pasty for free.

“You need to kind of hunch around it while you eat and keep an eye on your surroundins’, okay?” she advised.

“I will. Thanks.” Dex started the walk back.

Somehow it felt like the number of people near the harbor had swelled in the short time that they had gone to eat their lunch, but there really seemed to be more people. Dex was glad that they had their own space to go back to. Everywhere in the town just seemed impossibly small and impossibly packed.

He started the climb up the harbor wall and stopped once he was on the flat. Dex looked along the wall and saw himself sat beside Nursey, laughing and chatting. Everyone had almost finished their food and they were getting up to leave.

Dex tried to jog towards them, but the wall was too packed. Nursey was saying something to them and putting his headphones on, pointing out at the sea beyond the wall. And the rest of them started walking towards Dex, the imposter Dex staying near Nursey.

Bitty caught sight of Dex first and then looked towards Nursey. Then Shitty, Lardo and Jack copied him. But Dex was already running, feet pounding the stony wall, shoving his pasty at some father with his family and pulling his rucksack around so he could get a bottle of strength potion out.

A doppelgänger?! But how?! Dex thought to himself as he chugged the potion and then shoved his bag into the surprised arms of Bitty and the empty potion vial at Lardo.

“HEY!” Dex yelled at his doppelgänger. Other parties on the wall started to see that something was up and were hastily moving out of Dex’s way.

The potion burned down his throat and he felt his muscles firm and his strides come more powerfully. His face, mouth and ears burned a little, but Dex ignored the discomfort as he finally reached the imposter, circled him and then punched him over the harbor wall.

Nursey stood there oblivious to all of this, including the sudden swell of shimmering green magic that swished towards him. But Dex didn’t miss that as he tumbled into the water with the imposter, eyes wide on the wisps of green power that curled from the imposters hands. The two of them hit the water and it was like being punched, the iciness flowing through him.

When Dex surfaced, there was no sign of the other him. Jack was throwing a life ring out to Dex and a lifeboat was heading towards him. This was not how he had wanted the day to go.

***

“Pardon?” Nursey’s voice was a low scared tremble. “You think I was what?”

“Cursed,” Jack explained as Dex, Bitty, Shitty and Lardo were Googling the crap out of local legends and bestiaries, trying to find a lead on what had gone after Nursey.

Dex was trying to ignore the continued disbelief in Nursey’s voice. And ignore the fact that he, Dex, had sprouted claws and pointy teeth, oh, and his pupils were now slits, all not long after taking the strength potion he’d used to fight off the doppelgänger and sending him into the water. Some of the cat hair from the ginger tom Nursey had cuddled, had ended up transferring from Nursey’s sweater into the potion. The side effects would fade with the potion, but it did mean the entire batch was contaminated.

“I can’t be one hundred percent sure,” Dex called, “but it looked like one.”

“And you said there was a second one of you with us after you went to get another pasty?” Nursey looked worried, brows furrowed.

“Yes,” Dex called over. They were crowded into the cottage living room, the windows wide open to let in some cool air. The emergency services hadn’t been impressed with Dex’s shenanigans, but they had let him go. One of the lifeboat crew, an older man who worked as a fisherman, had suggested to look for mention of “Bucca”, but Dex was struggling to find anything in his usual sources for online magical information.

“AHAH!” Lardo shouted, pointing at her iPad screen. “I found an entry on Bucca.’”

Bitty, Shitty and Dex crowded around Lardo, reading what she’d found.

“So they’re like pixies and knockers… We didn’t leave a tribute at the beach!” Dex groaned.

“No one really knows what they look like… but they can be quite vengeful,” Lardo explained.

They looked over at Nursey at the same time. He pursed his lips. “I feel fine.”

Dex got up and studied Nursey closely, kneeling in front of him. His inspection reached Nursey’s short covered legs and pool shoe wearing feet. Something gray-green glimmered on Nursey’s right foot. Dex leaned in closer, getting low.

“You have one fish scale.” Dex knelt up again.

Nursey looked down at his foot eyes going wide.

Dex looked over his shoulder towards Lardo. “Is there anything in that entry about Bucca curses?”

***

After some more digging around, they found a summoning spell that would work on Bucca. Shitty and Bitty headed back into St Ives to pick up some of the ingredients while the rest of them kept an eye on Nursey.

Nursey wouldn’t talk while this was all going on, but then 30 minutes after Bitty and Shitty had left, Nursey turned to Dex, a somber look on his face and asked, “It’s all real?”

It took Dex a moment to realize what Nursey was asking. Then he sat down next to his friend and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “Yes.”

Jack and Lardo looked at each other and then back to Nursey.

“You’re really a wizard?” Nursey asked, looking into Dex’s eyes.

Dex resisted squirming under the gaze and nodded while keeping eye contact. “Yes.”

Nursey turned to Jack and Lardo. “You two?”

Lardo smoothed down the fabric of her light summer dress she’d slipped into and smiled. “I’m a clairvoyant.”

Jack rolled his shoulders. “Demi demigod.”

Nursey bit his bottom lip. “Shitty and Bitty?”

“No powers, except for baking on Bitty’s part, but uh, no. They’re human.” Jack shrugged.

Nursey slumped back deeper into the couch. Dex reached out to him and Nursey let him hold his hand.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but there’s one more thing,” Dex swallowed. “Your aura has always been kinda weird. Since I’ve known you. Kind of this awesome purple, and I don’t know what it means other than that you seem to, well, be quite good at attracting monsters to you.”

Nursey crooked an eyebrow up at that. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Dex was about to say more when there was the sound of the minivan pulling into the cottage’s driveway. As soon as Bitty and Shitty appeared, the cottage became a whirl of activity as they went about getting the summoning spell ready.

Once everything was assembled, the six of them headed out into the late afternoon sunshine and started down towards the private cove by the cottage. Dex couldn’t help thinking how it was all rather hilarious that they were still going to the beach, but it wasn’t for having fun. Dex was carrying the summoning spell that had been put in a bronze bowl, Bitty and Jack were carrying the pies Bitty had baked that morning (one apple, one rhubarb and one pecan), while Shitty and Lardo flanked Dex.

A cool breeze blew off the gentle sea, the water sparkling in the light. Dex reached where the waves were gently rolling against the shore and put the bowl down. He pulled out a box of matches and looked back to the others. Jack nodded.

Dex lit a match and dropped it into the bowl. The ingredients smoked and burned, making a greenish smoke rise up into the air. “Come!” Dex called out across the water. “I summon thee, Bucca!”

The smoke continued to lazily rise up into the air and Dex looked across the sea and then he saw a dark shadow under the low waves. Like the one he had seen the night before.

Water splashed up and a man started to crawl up the water to the shoreline. His skin was a light brown-gray, his hair was made of seaweed and instead of legs he had a long eel like tail. The Bucca reached Dex and the bowl, frowning up at him.

“I wondered when you’d call,” the Bucca snarked.

“Release my friend from his curse,” Dex asked. “We have a tribute for you.”

Dex nodded at Bitty and Jack and they brought the pies forward. They set them down on the beach, one beside the other. The Bucca looked at the baked goods, eyes wide.

“These human foods do look a fitting tribute, much different to the fish I’m normally left. But I cannot remove the curse.” The Bucca looked around Dex and to Nursey further back. “Your friend will only be released when he kisses his true love or else he will become mine.”

Dex’s hands flexed at his sides, clenched into fists. “Why you-”

“Before you do something you’ll regret, I suggest you think of whose face I stole.” The Bucca looked longingly at the pies. “Those really do look good.”

Whose face? Dex thought and then his eyes widened as he realized. He turned to Nursey and then jogged across the sandy beach. “Nursey,” he said, “may I kiss you?”

Nursey looked at Dex like he had grown two heads and then his gaze went soft. He nibbled his bottom lip and then nodded. “Why?”

“It might break the curse…”

“Is that all?”

Dex rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “I…” He looked around at his friends around them and the Bucca who was sneaking a hand towards the apple pie. “I like you… a lot.”

“Okay. You can kiss me.”

Heart jumping into his throat, Dex stepped into Nursey’s space and leaned in close. His eyes fell to Nursey’s lips and he closed the distance, eyes shut. Kissing Nursey was like nothing he had experienced before, all lightness and warmth, his pulse thundering through him. Nursey opened up his mouth and deepened it, tongue finding Dex’s, slow and gentle as Nursey’s hands reached up and pulled Dex in.

A glimmering green glow shimmered beyond his eyelids and Dex opened his eyes to see Nursey’s eyes open and the green light leaving him. Finally they pulled back, but Dex was still held in Nursey’s arms.

Distantly, Dex was aware of voices and splashing water, but he couldn’t stop staring at Nursey and the beauty that was there. There were still a million things he needed to talk to Nursey about, but that could wait.

Nursey leaned in and they kissed again, before finally pulling apart, because Dex’s stomach was rumbling.

“You never had lunch,” Nursey pointed out. He turned towards the others and called, “Hey, Bitty, is there any more pie?”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated.
> 
> You can find me on Pillowfort at [dreamsfromthebunker](https://www.pillowfort.io/dreamsfromthebunker), Dreamwidth at [hit_the_books](https://hit-the-books.dreamwidth.org/), Tumblr at [hitthebooksposts](https://hitthebooksposts.tumblr.com/).


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